Hi Jasper, thanks so much for taking your time to answer my questions (and I know you must be extremely busy right now). For those people whom are new to Alternative Fashion Week scene, would you mind giving a brief description about yourself?
I was born in the Philippines, When I was 12, my family moved to Canada. Studied Fashion in the International Academy of Design. When I was 19 I moved to London to study at Central St Martins (Womenswear). Upon graduation I was appointed as the chief designer for Michiko Koshino. In 2008, I won Project Catwalk. In 2009, I debut my first collection for London Fashion Week. My work has been featured in Vogue, I-D, Dazed and Confused, V Magazine and Elle, among others.
Those magazines are my favorite and I am sure I must have seen some of your collection on them before. Who are your favourite fashion designers of all times? Have they influenced your designing style?
I love Yves St. Laurent for his dedication and contribution to fashion. His love for women is beyond passion and obsession. He is the master of colour, texture and drama. I recently went to Petite Palais in Paris to see his body of work from the time he was working for Christian Dior. He certainly inspired me as a designer to achieve more in the industry. His classic tailoring and love for different cultures, certainly has a great affect on my designs.
Yes, Yves St. Laurent is the master of womenswear. Now, let's go back to your collections. Would you mind telling us what is the theme for your A/W collection? Are there any specific details we should focus on?
The collection is inspired by the Art Deco period, look out for architecture inspired tailoring – there is even a ‘Chrysler’dress and an ‘Empire’ jacket. Women from that period have really inspired me such as Tamara de Lempicka and Louise Brooks who had different personal styles but who both represent modern strong women. Colour wise I was inspired by the tones from the precious stone malachite – so the main colour is green alongside classic neutrals of black, grey, cream, silver and gold. Look out for our unique ‘malachite print’ and our new oversized gold branded zips.
This sounds like an interesting collection and I am looking forward to see it on Wednesday! Do you plan on producing a menswear line in the future? If so, will the style be very different than the womenswear line?
At the moment I just want to focus on womenswear but I would love to one day produce a menswear line too. My style is a reflection of what inspires me at a particular time so it would make sense that season by season the two collections would be similar in style. We are launching a sub label in the spring called ‘Gala’ which will be a more affordable interpretation of my catwalk collection. It will still be of the highest quality but using less embellishment and man-hours which is what drives up the cost of production. In the current climate I think it is important to give your customers what they want at a price they can afford.
I am sure both lines will do well and I can't wait to see you produce the men's line in the future. What do you think of the world fashion scene right now? Is there any element you think we are lacking of at the moment?
Going back to the credit crunch issue I think this has made it even harder for new talent to emerge and be successful in a business sense. Boutiques and buyers are falling back on the big couture houses and not investing in ‘risky’ new designers; I think this is a shame because new designers and new ideas are vital in-order to keep fashion moving forward. There is some support for young talent and events such as FAT are so important but still there is so much more that could be done from the industry as a whole.
Yes, I feel like boutiques and buyers are not taking risk now that's why I can never find some unique clothes in stores. If you could have any models in the world to be your muse, who would be your top choice and why?
I wouldn’t choose a fashion model, I would choose Eva green – because she is elegant, strong and sexy and she oozes class in a way that other young actresses don’t. She is timeless.
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After asking him questions as a fashion designer, it is time for us to explore what does he like on a more personal level.
Suede or Chiffon?
Chiffon – suede unflattering as a clothing fabric – but is great for accessories
Brown or Purple?
Purple
Evian or Perrier?
Perrier
Romeo and Juliet or Phantom Of The Opera?
Romeo and Juliet – I’m a classic Romantic
Red or White Rose?
Red – see above!
Blueberry or Blackberry?
Blackberry – Blackberry and Apple crumble is one of my favourite English Desserts
Dog or Cat?
Dog! I love my little King Charles spaniel – Beau – he drives everyone on the studio crazy but he’s a softy really.
London or Paris?
Paris.... but I love living in London.
Jelly Beans or Chocolate?
Jelly Beans – there is more variation.
Sneakers or Dress Shoes?
Neither – I live in my vintage leather boots off the Portabello Road Market.
After reading his facts, I can conclude that he is a very romantic person (and this personality shows in his collection). Thank you so much to Jassper for taking his time to answer my questions and I wish him all the best in the future! If you want to look at his other collections, please come check out his official website. All photos are courtesy of Jasper Garvida.
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